Shattered
by InkHandzzz
Summary: Doesn't it sometimes feel as if though whatever you do is always a mistake? As if the whole world depends on you?
1. Reflection

**Sorry for all of the long waits guys, my computer's acting up again.**

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My life is terrible. I'm watching it fall apart in my hands. Every little piece of my heart is broken, and all the happiness in me is gone. It just disappeared, before I could stop it. I didn't want my life to be like this, where every day I wake up to find myself disappointed at how I always wake up breathing. I didn't want my body to be covered in scars of where I had cut myself, or bruises from where I had repeatedly hit myself. I didn't want it to happen, but it did. Something inside me that held all of my sanity snapped, and then the beast inside of me emerged out. There was no holding it back. Every single ounce of pain I felt seemed to satisfy me, but it wasn't enough for me to feed my hunger for it. I wanted myself to suffer more. But there was no other way, I was already suffering enough, wasn't I?

No, I wasn't. I needed to suffer more. I needed to suffer from all the pain that I had caused others to feel, because it was their way of revenge upon me. It was my way of revenge upon me. I ruined everything for everyone. Even my teachers had said so, before they kicked me out of the fifth school I'd entered this year.

_"Look in the mirror, and what do you see?" Ms. Ahla, or the 'foster-lady' as I always called her, asked me. I stood up from my seat and walked over to it, and looked at my reflection. I examined the cuts with my eyes, and looked at the black eye I recently earned from getting into a fight with another girl._

_"I just see a girl." I said. "And a chair and a bed. A floor, cieling, a wall, a pillow, a table, and a nightstand." I peered into the mirror, noticing what else I could find. "I also see a lady with brown hair." I added. Ms. Ahla sighed._

_"I meant, what do you think when you first look at yourself and all of these scars and bruises you've got?" Ms. Ahla said, every word seeming to linger on and seep into my mind. It occurred to me that I never thought of what people thought of me, but only what I thought of myself. I walked closer to the mirror, and put my hand on it, and then my other hand. I pressed my forehead against the mirror and I looked into my eyes. But as soon as I did I immediately regretted it._

_I saw terror, fear, pain, anger, hurt, and worst of all, I saw evil. I backed away from the mirror quickly, and I knocked something over while I did. Ms. Ahla looked at me with confusion in her eyes. I looked away from them. _

_"Are you okay?" Ms. Ahla asked. I shook my head, and I sat down on the bed, covering my eyes. I had a massive headache. I felt Ms. Ahla sit next to me, and she held me in her arms. I started to cry. I never cried before. It made me feel weak. It made me feel vulnerable. But I was weak and vulnerable, and I didn't deny it. Before, I'd pull Ms. Ahla's hands away from me, but right now that was all I wanted. I just wanted to be with Ms. Ahla. _

_After I had stopped crying, I lay down on my bed. I put my head on the soft pillow, and I closed my eyes. I never asked anyone about what they thought of me, but I decided now was the time. "Ms. Ahla..." I began._

_"Yes dear?" she asked. I lifted myself up so I was sitting on the bed. I opened my eyes and was face to face with Ms. Ahla. I moved back a little. I took in every little detail of her that I could. _

_"Ms. Ahla, what... Do you... Think of me?" I asked, adding the last part quickly. Ms. Ahla looked at me like I was a lunatic. But then she seemed to relax._

_"I think you're a wonderful girl. But you've harmed yourself way too much. I think you're a very smart girl, with a wonderful voice and a passion-" Ms. Ahla began, but I started to have a headache and I cut her off._

_"Okay okay I get it." I said, but then after a moment, I asked her another question. "Why though? Why don't you think I'm a monster like everyone else does?" I asked._

_Ms. Ahla looked at me with shock written all over her. "Don't you dare say that again! You're not a monster!" I looked away from her._

_"Yeah, well I feel like a monster." I said. Ms. Ahla came to face me but I turned around again. She put her arms on my shoulders and turned me around so I was facing her. Her grip on my shoulders were strong._

_"You may feel like one but I know you're not. I know who you really are, but it seems like you don't." Ms. Ahla replied. I pried my shoulders from her grip._

_"Then what am I?!" I shouted. Ms. Ahla gasped, and so did I. I never yelled at her, even if I wanted to. I turned around from her again and faced the wall. I felt her put a hand on my shoulder, but I pushed it away._

_"You're a flower, but it hasn't bloomed yet." Ms. Ahla replied in a quiet voice. I rolled my eyes, thankful she couldn't see. I walked over to the nightstand and opened the drawer, revealing a portrait of me when I was younger. I was wearing a green tutu and my hair was tied up. I always hated pink, it made me feel like I was going to throw up, the way it seemed so sweet but it also made you feel like it was a dark secret. I looked at the picture and noticed I was smiling and holding out a hand to show a tooth that had just came out._

_"Why can't life just become easier for me?" I asked. I peered into my eyes, ignoring Ms. Ahla's response. I tried to see what I could find in my eyes, but I couldn't find anything, and I gave up. I put the portrait back into the drawer and closed it. When I turned around, Ms. Ahla was gone._

After a month or two, I was adopted into a new family. Penny and Lester Dawson. They had a son who was about three or four years old, and his name was Bryce. They were the sweetest family, but they didn't question me about my cuts or my bruises, which I decided was good. They treated me like I was normal, not like I was an alien from outer space. After I spent a month or two with them, they decided it was best to send me to school again. I ended up going to Marino High as regular old Ally Dawson. Not a monster, not a demon, just a regular girl. Which to me was kind of like a joke, it didn't seem real at all, my life. But it was as real as it could be, and I had to admit to that.

-

I wake up screaming from a terrible nightmare I had. I start screaming for Ms. Ahla and Penny comes rushing into the room. I am sitting on my bed, clutching my blanket in my hands. Penny sits down next to me, and gives me a long hug. I don't push her away, instead I let her hug me. She starts saying soothing words to me until I calm down. When I finally do, Penny smiles, kisses my cheek, and sits on the edge of the bed holding my hand. Bryce walks into the room, rubbing his eyes.

"Why you cryin'?" Bryce asks. I notice that tears were streaming down my cheeks. I smile a weak smile, and I motion for him to come over to me. Bryce walks over to me, and I release my grip from Penny's hand and pull him onto my lap.

"I had a scary dream." I say. Bryce squirms around in my lap, and then looks at me. He fixes his gaze so he is looking directly into my eyes, and I look away. He reaches over and touches my cheek, and I put my hand over his.

"Wanna hug?" Bryce asks. I nod, and Bryce reaches over and gives me a big hug, and I hug him back. "I wuv you." Bryce whispers.

I smile and give him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you more." I say, and I tickle him. Bryce giggles, and then gives me a wet kiss on the cheek when Penny tells him to go back to bed. When he leaves, Penny smiles at me.

"Are you feeling alright?" Penny asks. Her voice sounds so sickly sweet it makes me feel like I am going to gag.

"Yeah, just had a bad dream. It happens." I say casually.

"Are you sure? Because it sounded as though you were dying." Penny replies. I blush.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I reply. Penny nods her head, accepting my apology.

"It's okay, at least Lester isn't awake. He goes completely crazy if someone disrupts his sleep." Penny laughs. I smile slightly.

"You should probably get back to bed. It's pretty late." I say, glancing over at the door and then back at Penny. It's the nicest way I can think of for asking her to leave.

"You're right. Especially since you have school tomorrow." Penny replies. I nod slowly.

"True. I have a big science test tomorrow." I lie. Penny nods, and gets off the bed and walks out the room, straightening her shirt.

I lay down on the bed and turn to the side, looking at the closed pink door of my bedroom. It doesn't even feel like mine. Nothing does. I don't even feel like myself. I start to feel queasy, looking at the same surroundings that I was looking at before. I pick up a purple pillow and I throw it at the door.

"I hate pink." I mutter.

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**Let me know if I should continue with this. I'm having writer's block so it may be a while before I update.**


	2. Moonlight

**Okay guys, I decided to upload chapter two earlier! I guess I couldn't really wait to see what you guys think of it! I hope you like it and if I made any mistakes please let me know! I also have a couple of announcements at the bottom, so check them out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally, or anything that you may recognize.**

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I can't sleep without waking up screaming, so I decide to remain in bed until it's time for school. I take a moment to look around the room, at the drawers, an empty aquarium, and the small piano sitting in the corner. That's new.

I get up from the bed, and make my way over to the piano. The moonlight seems to shine brighter on the keys, and I touch each key softly. The sound comes out so softly and heavenly. I decide that the piano is the only thing that I like about this place. I start to hum a little melody that my father and I used to sing before he died, but it brings back too much bad memories of my past life, and I force myself to stop. Instead, I make my way over to the window and I look outside. It's still pretty dark, but the sun is starting to rise.

I open the window, and I step outside so I'm sitting on the windowsill. It's pretty high up from the ground, since my room is on the second floor, so I have to be careful not to fall. Once I get more comfortable, I stand up on my feet. I look at the sky and it looks so beautiful I can't stop staring.

I wonder what it's like to be a bird, to be able to fly away. I wonder what Penny will say or do when I disappear. Would she cry? Or would she celebrate? What would Bryce do? What had my mother done? Then I imagine my mother holding me in my arms, and then she and my father come to take me away from here. But that won't happen. My father's dead and I don't even know where my mother is. What if she's living a better life now that I'm gone? Is she still alive even? What happened to her? All of these questions start to hurt my brain, and I just pretend I'm a bird again. Soaring, high up in the sky. Being able to see the world underneath me. The wind in my hair...

I snap back to my senses when I hear footsteps coming to my bedroom, so I quickly jump back in the room and land on my feet. I am pretty impressed by myself, but then I feel pain shooting up my leg. I run over to the bed and I throw my blanket over me. I'm shouting a stream of curses in my head because of the pain. The doorknob slightly opens, and Penny comes into the room. I close my eyes and take deep breaths to make it look like I was sleeping. Penny makes her way to my bed and then runs her fingers through my hair. I have to resist the urge to stop myself from slapping her hand away.

"My sweet Ally." Penny whispers, and then plants a kiss on my cheek. When I'm sure she's left, I open my eyes and then I rub my cheek until I get a red mark. I look at the clock and sigh. Only two more hours before I go to school.

Marino High School isn't like my old high school at all. Instead of people talking about you behind their back, they act as if you were never there. They completely ignore the new kids, unless they end up becoming a jock or a cheerleader or something. When they do acknowledge you, it's only because they need a favor or something. Otherwise you're left feeling like a complete outcast, which is what I am. Well, I guess I'm not a complete outcast, people now know me as Devil Girl, after an incident on the first day of school.

On the first day I went there I didn't bother covering up my scars or my bruises or anything. Not even my black eye, which was starting to fade away anyway so I decided not to cover it up. I came late to school and I had to ask someone to help me find my classes. My first class was History, and that class is filled with jocks and cheerleaders. I immediately hated everyone in that class the moment I laid eyes on them. They all seemed so fake and snotty. I decided I was right. When I walked into class, people began to snicker or laugh, while others pretended I wasn't there. I ignored all the laughter since I was used to it and I sat in an empty seat in the back corner. I ended up sitting next to the most annoying guy - correction: kid - on the planet.

_"Hey new girl. Do you have a name?" he asked. I glanced at him and noticed some of his features. Brown hair, dark brown eyes. I ignored him and looked the other way, at the wall with a picture of Abraham Lincoln._

_The kid started tapping my shoulder, which hurt so badly from a broken bone which I didn't tell anyone about. Let's just say that I actually did fall from the windowsill last time. I let out a hiss of pain, and then yanked his hand away from my shoulder._

_"Don't you dare touch me or I will rip off your face." I said in a dangerously low voice. I guess he wasn't smart enough to realize that I was serious, because after a couple more minutes he started rubbing my arm._

_"Do you like that?" he asked in a seductive voice. I decided to play along with him. I put my hand on top of his, and then smiled flirtatiously. His hands felt warm and sort of comfortable. _

_"Yeah. I do." I said, trying my best to sound seductive. He smirked a little, and then I quickly scratched his hands with my fingernails. He pulled his hand away quickly, and rubbed his hand, which by that time started to bleed a little._

_"Ow! What's with the claws?!" he asked. I smirked and looked at my fingernails and then back at him._

_"I'm a demon." I said. He rolled his eyes. But I saw a trace of fear in them. _

_"I'm pretty sure I can tell. What are you going to do? Drag me to hell?" he asked. I nodded. _

_"That's exactly what I was going to do." I said. "I didn't know you were smart enough to figure that out." _

_He scowled, then turned around into his seat. Before he did, I heard him whisper the words "Devil Girl."_

Being a very good eavesdropper, I later found out that his name was Dallas. Apparently he was the one that all of the girls were after. From hearing rumors about him, I started to hate him even more. He tries to make girls fall in love with him, and in the shortest time possible. Being all sweet and romantic, he goes after the girl who everyone's least expecting. What makes me really sick, is that people say he's going to be after me.

I start to feel weird just by thinking about it, so I try to think of something else, but it feels like he keeps creeping into my thoughts. I finally realize that the reason I'm behaving like this is because... I'm scared. I'm scared of what he will do, or what he's capable of doing.

I glance over at the clock, and I get up to start getting ready. This time, I wear a black long sleeved shirt so people can't see my cuts. I look at the bathroom mirror to see how well my black eye is doing, and I realize it's mostly disappeared by now. When I'm done brushing my hair and it's tied into a ponytail, I grab my backpack and I head downstairs.

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I walk into the kitchen and I sit on top of the kitchen counter and tie my shoe while I stuff a pancake into my mouth. Penny walks into the kitchen, and tries not to notice that I'm sitting on the counter. She has a list of rules in this family, and she gets pretty angry if you don't follow them. But I guess I'm an exception. I've broken every rule at least three times and she hasn't even said a word about it. I'm trying to see how long it takes until she snaps. It never seems to come out of her, even though I see how badly she wants to. Sometimes even the most perfect person needs to snap. But to my surprise, she doesn't. In fact, she completely ignores it. I raise an eyebrow in suspicion, which she also ignores.

"So, should I drive you or do you want to take the bus?" Penny asks. I hold up a finger, signaling for her to wait, and when I'm done swallowing my pancake I answer.

"I think I'll take the bus today." I say. I don't really feel like being anywhere near Penny or Lester today. "I'm staying after today." I add. Penny nods, and I walk out the door.

As I walk down the sidewalk I start to think of ways I can run away. I make up different methods as I walk. When I finally reach the sidewalk I see someone sitting on the curb. His hood covers his head, but I can see traces of his blonde hair. I slowly make my way closer to him. He looks up and I can see his brown eyes.

"What're you doing here?" he asks, clearly not happy to see me either.

"I'm going on the bus dumbass." I say. He scowls at me, and then moves over and pats a spot next to him. I hesitate.

"It's going to be at least fifteen minutes before the bus comes. Your feet'll get tired." he says.

"Why are you here so early anyway?" I ask, sitting down next to him.

"I could ask the same about you." he says. "I usually come here earlier before everyone else does for some time to myself."

I let out a groan. "More people?" I ask unhappily. He nods.

"Anti-social much?" he says. I scowl at him. He laughs. "Don't worry I hate them too."

"At least your someone who I can tolerate." I mutter.

"Oh really? It doesn't seem like you're tolerating me pretty well." he says, and laughs more.

"Maybe it's not too late for Penny to drive me." I say, and I get up but he puts a hand on my arm.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'll stop." he says. I sit back down. "What's your name anyway?"

"I'm Ally." I say. He holds out a hand. I take it.

"Austin." he says, and we shake hands. We stay silent for a while, and I try to build up some conversation.

"So... Do you know Dallas?" I ask. I can't really think of anything else to say, and the silence is bothering me.

Austin frowns. "I wish I didn't. That kid made my life a living hell." he looks at me. "Let me guess. You've got a crush on him?"

I shake my head and pretend to gag. He laughs, and I relax a little. "What did he do to you anyway?" I ask.

"We used to get into a lot of fist fights." Austin says. I turn over so I'm facing him.

"Why would you do that?" I ask. He doesn't seem like the type to pick a fight with people.

"There was this girl I really cared about... I did anything for her, but then I lost her to Dallas." Austin says quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry." I say. I rub his arm comfortingly.

"It doesn't matter. It happened a long time ago. I learned never to love anyone again." he says.

"Well you can't help who you fall in love with." I point out.

Austin buries his head in his hands. "Alright. Let's just... Stop talking about this." he says.

"Agreed." I say. The rest of the time we remain silent. It doesn't last very long because then the others arrive. I have to agree with Austin. I hate them already. They're so loud and obnoxious, and they won't leave me alone. About five minutes before the bus arrives, I'm about to go insane, but Austin tells them to stop and surprisingly, they listen.

When the bus finally arrives, I get on and Austin comes behind me. I find an empty seat and sit in it, and Austin sits next to me. I make some room for him to sit, and then I look out the window.

"You know," Austin begins. I turn my attention towards him. "I think we could be good friends."

"Maybe. You're the only one who bothers to talk to me." I say. "Everyone else doesn't care who I am."

"Tell me about it." Austin says.

"I guess that's one thing we have in common, besides our hatred for Dallas." I say.

"You never know how much you have in common with a person." Austin says.

"True." I say.

But I don't believe him.

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**For some reason, this story reminds me of 'Mirrors' by Justin Timberlake. Haha I guess I know why, but I'd love to hear why you guys think so!**

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I'm finishing up some of my unfinished stories, so it may be a while for a new chapter to come, since I have so many stories to finish up.**

**So? What did you guys think of this chapter? I decided to introduce Austin quickly because I have some ideas planned. Mostly dramatic, but I'll try to add some humor and some songs (which I don't know which ones, so I'll happily accept any of your suggestions!) from keeping it so depressing, though that may be kind of hard to do.**

**Also, I was thinking if I should add an OC in the story. If you think I should, let me know! I'm thinking of having a little contest to see, but if I decide not to use the OC in this story I'll definitely use it in another.**

**I was also thinking of some twists to add in the story, I have a couple already, but I was wondering what twists you guys think should happen! **

**Also, I'm deciding it's time to do a little one-shot here and there, so if you'd like one you can message me with your ideas!**

**I guess that's it, so I'm going to go now. Thanks guys! I really appreciate it!**


	3. Lily's story

As I walk into the building with Austin following behind me, I can't help straining myself to hear what people say as they pass by. It seems that Devil Girl apparently has became a very... Discussed topic. People glance at me, and then turn around quickly as if I'm Medusa and I'll turn them into stone. I actually think that it wouldn't be so bad, because half of these people I wouldn't mind turning into stone. Especially Dallas, who I'm still trying to avoid. I seriously hope that what everyone said about him coming for me isn't true, because if it is then I'd probably kill myself or something along those lines. Just in case, I have prepared myself for it, so I won't be taken back in complete shock, probably like how Dallas hopes. I practiced a little with Bryce, but he didn't know what was going on and just decided to leave and play with his toys, so I practiced in front of my mirror, looking at my expressions to perfect them. I have to admit, I'm not bragging or anything, but I'm actually a pretty good actor.

I head off to my locker. As I dial in the combination, I feel someone's presence behind me. I turn around because I expect it to be Austin, so I'm pretty surprised when it's not him. Instead it's Elliot, who sits next to me in science. He's a nice guy, but he can be a little too nice and annoying at times. His only flaw is that he talks way too much! Especially to me, since I guess he thinks we must be best friends or something now just because I had bothered to talk to him. I just needed to find out what the homework was and now he thinks we're best friends. He's smiling widely, and I seriously am creeped out by him. I pretend that he's not there and I zip open my backpack, but he coughs to get my attention. I mentally slap myself. I really don't feel in the mood for chatting with him, so I take my time getting up.

"Is there something you need?" I ask. I cross my arms over my chest to show that I'm not happy he's here, but he doesn't even notice. He just keeps grinning widely, as wide as I think it can go. I seriously have the urge to punch him, but Ms. Ahla told me a lot about self control, and I promised her I would try my best not to punch someone out of the blue. I think it may be time that promise is broken, because my fists are itching to punch him.

"Nope. I just wanted to say hi! Well I guess I already said that," he laughs. I try to muster a smile, but I'm too annoyed. "So, what class do you have? I have math with Mr. Chase and let me tell you that guy is really loud. He can be mean but he's not really mean to me. Well I guess because I actually listen to him, while other kids like-" I cut him off by placing a hand over his mouth.

"Listen. It's really early in the morning and I'm not in the mood for talking." I say. I pull my hand away and grab my books and shut my locker.

Elliot nods. "Oh okay. I guess we can sit next to each other at lunch when I guess you'll be more-" I walk away from him. When I'm pretty sure he's out of sight, I slow down.

"That kid never stops talking!" I hear a voice say. I immediately know who it is and I turn around and sure enough, I'm right. It's Austin, and he seems pretty entertained by my annoyance. I scowl at him.

"Tell me about it." I mutter. I'm actually glad to see Austin here, because I was going to go look for him anyway. He promised he'd help me go find my next class if I got lost, and I'm seeing how well he'll live up to it. I guess it's a test to see if I can trust him or not, or maybe I just want to be with him. Either way I need him. "I was about to duct tape his mouth shut." I say, and pull out a roll of shiny silver duct tape. Austin looks at it quizzically, but then he laughs.

"Actually I've tried that, but it never worked." Austin says. I can't help but smile a little, because it definitely seems like something he would do. Maybe we have more in common than I thought. I head off to my first class, which is History. Yay, I get to be with Dallas for a whole forty-five minutes! I let out a groan, and Austin looks at me with suspicion.

"I have History." I say. "Which is probably the most annoying class I have."

"I personally think they're all annoying... But whatever. Let's go." Austin says. I expect for him to lead me, but instead he pulls out his phone and starts texting his friend while I'm still trying to find my way around. I'm pretty sure I've walked in a circle at least five times before Austin stops me.

"History is the other way." he says. "Follow me." I trudge along his side and I make mental notes to myself as I pass by the classrooms. History is near the creepy picture of the principal, two doors from the nurses office, across from the staircase.

"Next time you lead." I say, pretty annoyed. I'm pretty sure I've lost five minutes by walking in a circle.

"I just wanted to see if you could find it by yourself." Austin says defensively.

"Sure, maybe if you weren't so busy texting you could've saved me five minutes." I say. We make our way down the hall towards the History wing.

"Mrs. Donner right?" Austin asks, looking at the number scratched on the door. I nod, and then he opens the door for me and I walk in. There are two girls sitting on the counter chatting, and a couple too busy making out to notice us walk in. I seriously get disturbed by the girl and I can't stop myself from saying something about her.

"What a slut." I whisper. Austin starts to laugh loudly, causing me to jump and the couple to pull apart to glare at us, but then they go back to making out. I turn around and walk to my desk, and Austin's about to leave but I stop him by putting a hand on his arm.

"Stay with me. I can't stay with these people alone." I beg. I honestly don't think I'd be able to survive with these people. I seriously hate them so much I'm pretty sure they'll be dead by the time class begins. Either them or me, I guess. Austin pauses a moment, and then nods his head slightly. I literally am doing a bunch of backflips in my head right now. "Thank you so much!" I say. I sit in my seat and Austin sits on top of a desk in front of me. We sit there for a moment, absolutely quiet.

"So," Austin begins, trying to think of something to say. He didn't himself expect to stay, and neither did I, so it makes this sort of awkward. "What's your favorite color?"

"I guess anything but pink." I say. "But mostly red. You?"

"I like yellow." he answers. It's quiet for a while so I decide it's my turn to ask.

"Um... What's your favorite... Movie?" I ask.

"I love horror movies." Austin answers. I make a face.

"Ew. They're not even that scary." I say.

"They are too!" Austin argues. "I mean, some of them suck but others creep me out!"

"Well I guess you're less of a man than I thought." I say teasingly.

He's about to say something back but then the bell rings and then it's time for him to go. He gets his stuff and walks out the door. He waves slightly and walks out the room. I wave back, but by then he's gone. As I sit in my desk waiting for class to begin, the two girls walk over to me. The taller one, with blonde hair and blue eyes does most of the talking. The shorter one, with brown hair and green eyes mostly remains quiet.

"Hey. I'm Val and that's my friend Miranda." The blonde, who I now know is Val, says.

"Hi." Miranda says quietly. She smiles shyly and puts her hands behind her back.

"Is there something you guys need?" I ask.

"Not really. We just wanted to talk with you." Val says.

"Okay... What do you want to talk about?" I ask.

"I'm pretty sure you can figure it out yourself." Val says.

"Actually I can't." I say. Val doesn't budge, so I take a sigh. "Lemme guess. Something about Austin?" I ask. It seems pretty obvious that they came here to talk about him, since I'm positive that they don't want to talk about our history final or my hair or anything. Val claps her hands.

"Thatta girl! See that Mira?" Val asks Miranda. She nods and gives a thumbs up.

"Okay. So what about him?" I ask.

"Well, we were just wondering about your relationship with him." Val says. I raise an eyebrow.

"Just friends." I say.

"Oh, have you heard of Lily? They were the best of friends. Until she left him like that." Val snaps her fingers.

Is that who Austin was talking about? It takes a moment for me to understand. I figured if he won't tell me anything, then at least I could get it out of two girls. I needed information somehow.

"No. Who is she?" I ask, pretending not to know anything about his past. Val gapes at me and I feel uncomfortable, but also pleased that it worked. I mentally praise my acting skills.

"You don't know? Oh, Mira, should we tell her?" Val asks. Miranda pauses a moment, and then nods. Val ducks her head down and speaks in a low voice so only we can hear her.

"Four years ago, a new girl came into the school, her name was Lily. She was really pretty, and the sweetest thing, but everyone hated her. I guess jealousy or something." Val says, shrugging.

"Lily was bullied by the girls a lot, mainly because she was the newbie. They ordered her around, pushed her, and treated her like dirt." Mira says. I guess I can relate to that.

"Then, one day when she was busy doing a 'mission' for the girls, she ran into Austin. I don't know the full details there but all we do know is that they became real good friends." Val says.

"They were friends for a long time, and eventually Austin developed feelings for her, but then came Dallas." Miranda says. She looks a little sad when she speaks. "He tried to seduce Lily, and I guess it worked, because next thing you know she was crawling all over him." I swallow. Is that what Dallas might do to me? I feel my hatred against him grow stronger every second.

"Lily then got rid of Austin - unintentionally that is, since she was too busy adoring Dallas - and moved on to him, and they were happy. Except, Lily realized after a while Dallas was a player. She tried to go back, but it was too late. Austin wanted nothing to do with her, but you could tell he was heartbroken. He did everything to get her back, but all that resulted in was him getting suspended for a week or two." Mira says. I'm about to stop them but I freeze after what Val says.

"Then, one day, Lily was riding her bike when she got hit by a car. The impact was so strong she died right there, leaving Austin and everyone who loved her." Val pauses, letting it sink in.

I seriously am taken by surprise here. "She... Lily died?" I ask quietly. Miranda nods, and wipes away a tear.

"It took all of us by surprise. Those girls started to cry and had a breakdown, Dallas was in shock, but Austin's reaction was the worst."

Val starts to cry a little too, so it's hard to understand, but I can piece the words together. "He tried to kill himself, he took drugs, smoked here and there, and worst of all, he promised he would never fall in love again." Val says.

I feel my eyes fill up with tears, but I blink them away before they can see. The girl he loved, broke his heart and then she died, leaving him alone, without her. He started doing terrible things to try and forget her, but it couldn't work, and then he promised never to fall in love again.

"How do you know all of that?" I ask. Val clears her throat, but another tear falls down.

"Lily was my cousin, but I never treated her like that. I treated her like how I treated my mother, because I loved her. We were best friends, told each other everything, but when Lily died, I had to piece together the missing pieces until I finished the puzzle." Val says, and another tear falls. Miranda hands her a tissue.

"Oh." I say. I'm at a loss for words, so I just give Val a hug and whisper "Thank you." in her ear. She nods, and walks over to her seat.

As the class fills in I realize something very important. Austin's tougher than I expected. There's more to that boy than I thought.

-

After History is over I head towards the music room when Val catches up with me. Miranda's following close behind, but stops to tie her shoe.

"Hey, I never caught your name." Val says.

"Ally." I say. "Ally... Dawson." I feel weird saying my last name is Dawson, but I guess I finally have a chance to be 'normal' for once.

"Nice to meet ya Al. Where you going next?" Val asks.

"Chorus." I say. I mentally check my schedule to make sure I'm right.

"Oh cool. We have to go to science. Bye Al." Val says, and she walks away with Miranda towards the staircases. I watch them go around the corner and then disappear, and then I head off to Chorus.

While I'm walking something in the back of my head is screaming for me not to trust them.


	4. Locked Out Of Chorus

**Okay, before I begin this chapter I want to say one thing: I'm an idiot. Turns out my flash drive was just hiding behind my computer, and while I was turning my house upside down, it was having the time of it's life. So I'm feeling really bad and stupid for making you guys wait so long. I'll go sit in that corner now. Anyway... let's get on with it! **

* * *

When I walk into the music room I'm the first one there. I look around the room and I decide I need some time alone, so I lock the door. My eye catches a small box sitting in the corner and I make my way towards it. As I come closer I see it's full of sheet music, and I pick one up and look at it. It's another one of those cheesy songs that people always sing in chorus, and after I have a good laugh, I put the sheets back in the box. I see some instruments stored in a bin in the corner. I come closer to it, and I stick my arm inside, fishing around to see what I can find. I pull out a tambourine and a triangle, and I set them down on the floor. I reach deeper to see what else I can find. My hand gets hold of a pair of maracas, which I am uninterested in. I throw the maracas onto the floor, and I keep reaching until I pull out a small kazoo. It's covered in spit, and I quickly toss the kazoo back into the box and rub my hands on my jeans, shouting curses. Afterwards, I throw the maracas back in, along with the triangle and the tambourine. When I'm finished, I walk over to the piano which is sitting in the front of the room. I touch the keys, mesmerized by their beautiful sounds. I double check to see if the doors are locked, and I sit down at the piano and begin to sing a song. My fingers touch the keys, and I play the notes.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa, whoa  
Whoa

I'm waking up to ash and dust  
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust  
I'm breathing in the chemicals

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus  
This is it, the apocalypse  
Whoa

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones  
Enough to make my systems blow  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive

I raise my flags, don my clothes  
It's a revolution, I suppose  
We're painted red to fit right in  
Whoa

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus  
This is it, the apocalypse  
Whoa

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones  
Enough to make my systems blow  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive

All systems go, the sun hasn't died  
Deep in my bones, straight from inside

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones  
Enough to make my systems blow  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive"

I linger on the last notes, and when I'm done, I sit quietly and stare at the piano. I close my eyes, but quickly reopen them when I hear pounding on the door.

"Open the door!" A masculine voice yells. I freeze. It's Mr. Madison, the Chorus teacher. I feel my heart pounding through my chest, and it makes a rhythmic tune with Mr. Madison's pounding at the door. For a moment I'm just frozen, I can't feel my legs or anything, but then another round of pounding comes and I come back to my senses. I look around and I spot a door in the back of the room. It's marked with a label that says "Emergency Exit" and after deciding that this really is an emergency, I make my way over to it. I open the latch of the door and step outside, and a cool breeze slaps me in the face. I slowly close the door, and then I realize I'm outside.

* * *

I wait outside the building, having a mini panic attack, feeling like a criminal. I can't think straight for a moment, because I'm so confused I don't know what to do. When I finally calm down, I decide the best thing to do is to go through the side entrance, which is not that far from the music room. I mentally slap myself a couple of times, because I feel so stupid after what I did. When I finally reach the door to the side entrance, I open it and quickly rush inside. I whisper a silent prayer and I casually walk back to the music room, pretending nothing had ever happened and that I hadn't just locked the whole class out of the music room.

* * *

When I reach the music room, everyone is standing outside, leaning on the walls, and waiting for the custodian to arrive. I casually stand in the back of the crowd, next to Elliot - whom I ignore - and Ben. Ben's an okay guy, but he always spits whenever he talks, and today was an unfortunate day for me, because he decided to have a full-on conversation with me.

As I wipe the last of Ben's spit off of my face the custodian arrives. Mr. Madison explains to him what happens, and according to him, it was no accident. I silently pray to myself that he hadn't heard me sing, otherwise I'm in deep trouble. Thankfully, he doesn't remember hearing anyone there, just some piano keys playing. Thank goodness I have a quiet voice! Mr. Madison then starts raging and thinking he was robbed. Please, like I'd steal any of that crap.

"They must've stolen something!" he mutters loudly. Ben gasps.

"Not my kazoo!" he screeches. I almost throw up as I rub my hands on my pants harder. Thankfully nobody notices.

* * *

As the custodian opens the door, we are ordered by Mr. Madison to check and see if anything was taken. Apparently he really cares about all this junk. Once everyone's confirmed that there was nothing taken or broken, he finally calms down and class officially begins. As he explains to Ben why he can't have the solo, I feel a cold hand on my shoulder. I turn around and see Austin standing behind me.

"Oh hey." I say. I didn't see him before, so I'm kind of surprised to see him here.

"You're lucky Mr. Madison didn't see this." he says, and points to a small card in his hand. I gulp. It's my student ID.

"How'd that get there?" I ask, praying really hard for my acting skills to work.

"Really? Why'd you even do it anyway?" Austin asks. I sigh.

"I just needed some time alone..." I say.

"So you lock the whole class out of the music room for some quiet time?" he asks. I nod, guilt rushing inside. I expect him to say how stupid it is, but he laughs.

"You are a really interesting girl." Austin says.

"Yeah, but there's more to me than you think." I say, remembering some violent thoughts. It's not the first time I've done something like this. But last time it happened, I knew what to do, and afterwards I was expelled from that school.

"Same here. But I guess you know that." Austin says.

"What?" I ask, completely confused.

"Well... You're looking at me differently than you were before." Austin says. "Like you know something."

"I know a lot of things about you." I say.

"So do I." Austin whispers into my ear. I shudder.

"Austin, Ally? Something you'd like to say to the class?" Mr. Madison asks. We both shake our heads, and then Mr. Madison continues talking. I turn my head so I'm facing front, but I lean back a little.

"Like what?" I ask.

"Well... For starters, your favorite color is green, you hate horror movies..." Austin whispers. I can't help but smile at this.

"Wow. Nice. Had me fooled for a second." I say. I'm slightly happy that he doesn't know anything about my past, and I hope it stays that way.

"Well... I also know that you're a Dawson." Austin says. I almost stop breathing.

"Um... Uh yeah." I gulp. "How'd uh, how'd you know?"

"Vira and Mal." he says.

"Mira and Val." I correct him.

"Whatever." Austin says. "But you are a Dawson?" he asks.

"Yip." I say.

"Well, I find that odd, considering the fact that Penny can't have children." Austin says pointedly. I turn around so I'm facing him.

Realization hits me, and in a moment I see how everything seems to make sense. Bryce...

"How do you know that?" I ask. Even I didn't know that. Maybe because I wasn't supposed to? Penny's got some explaining to do.

"People in the neighborhood." Austin replies, shrugging it off like it's no big deal. "And word gets around pretty fast. You guys moved here a couple of months ago. So I figured that you were with them."

"But what does it matter?" I ask. Clearly I see no point in this.

"I just wanna know what you really are." Austin says. "The real you."

I gulp. "You can't know." I say hoarsely.

"You know, the more secrets you hide, the more I'll have to pry out of you." Austin says.

"Why do you even bother?" I ask.

"I'm curious." He says.

"You do know that curiosity killed the cat." I say. "So you'd better get your butt out of my business." I make a fist, ready to strike.

"Relax." Austin says, but it's more like an order. I think of Ms. Ahla and my self-control, and then unclench my fist.

"Sorry, bad habit." I say.

"It's okay. I probably asked too soon anyway." Austin says.

* * *

The rest of music class Austin and I don't say a word. Partly because we were separated and partly because I was mad at him. When class is over I have to go find my way to English, and turns out Austin's in my class too, so we walk silently together. Pretty soon the silence begins to bother me and I have to force myself to say something.

"Mira and Val... They're really interesting aren't they?" I ask. In my head I list ways to kill them.

"Interesting? No. Nosy? Yeah." Austin replies. We turn towards the English hallway.

"Guess so." I reply. I stay silent for a moment before adding, "Really change your opinions on someone."

"I guess." Austin says. He shoves his hands in his pockets.

"But I guess all that nosiness let's you know a person better." I reply, but once it comes out of my mouth, I regret it.

Austin stops me, and turns around so he's looking straight into my eyes. I immediately look at the floor.

"What did they tell you?" he asks, as if I have a choice to tell him or not, but the way he says it, I don't.

"Uh... U-um that you're a..." I say the first word that comes to my mind. "Hobo."

Austin narrows his eyes. His frown deepens, and it feels like any moment now, he'll reach out and steal my soul.

"I know you're lying Ally. I see it in your eyes." Austin replies. "What did they tell you?"

I push my way past him. "Why are you acting so defensive?" I ask. "They don't know anything anyway, so why do you even care?!"

Austin pauses for a moment. Then he finally speaks. "I don't..." he says.

"Mhm. Sure." I say, and we continue walking to class.

All I keep repeating over my head is a question I'm dying to ask him.

Why doesn't he want me to know about his past?

* * *

**Well I hope you liked it... and if it makes sense. I didn't have time to proof-read it, so if you see any mistakes let me know please! :D**

**The song I used was Radioactive by Imagine Dragons! I love them sooo much! 3**


	5. Secrets Meant to be Kept

**Sorry for the long wait guys, I've been having some writer's block. I hope you like this chapter, I did... Then again nobody would care anyway... **

**Disclaimer: I don't own A&A**

* * *

The bell rings at the end of class signaling the end of the school day. Kids go rushing out of the door with their notebooks still in their hands, catching up with friends or heading off to clubs and sports. I take my time as I finish putting everything neatly in my bag and I zip it up and then sling it over my shoulder. I walk out of the class after saying goodbye to the teacher and then make my way towards the staircases. People push me and some older guys that pass by me think it's funny to ruffle my hair. People occasionally glance at me like how they usually do, but then they look away and continue with whatever they were doing before. I feel like I'm a celebrity, and I hate it. I push past a group of girls huddled against the doorway and I make my way downstairs. The guy in front of me thinks it's funny to walk slowly, so with a little push I get him to move faster. I walk towards my locker and see that I have company. Miranda and Val are standing in front of my locker, Val's crying while Miranda's comforting her. I slowly make my way forward, and Miranda sees me and nods, inviting me over. I move faster, until I'm standing right in front of them.

"What happened?" I ask Miranda, since it looks really obvious that Val can't talk right now. She's too busy crying, her face is covered with tears. Miranda looks at Val for a moment, and then back at me. She clears her throat and speaks hoarsely. I can see tears shining in her eyes.

"Val's brother... He died." Miranda speaks quietly. I feel a pang of guilt and sadness surge through me. It feels as if I'd known him forever even though I'd only met Val a week or two ago. It seems as if a part of her died as well. She sobs more, and Miranda gives her a hug. I stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to say or what to do. All I am able to do is just stare at Val like I'm a complete lunatic.

"H-how?" I ask, my voice catching in my throat. I know it's a dangerous question to ask, especially with Val standing right next to me, but I just have to know how.

Val sobs even more, but she's able to speak now, even though it's hard to understand what she's saying between her sobs. After a long silence I'm able to piece together what she said. Val's brother committed suicide last night. He left a note to her and everything, but she didn't know what he did. There was no evidence of drugs or anything anywhere. It takes me by surprise, and I feel as if he had been planning to do that for a long time. I stay silent, and Val tries to stop, but every time she does, she begins crying again. Miranda stays quiet too, but she does whisper some soothing words once in a while. I watch this very carefully, and then I notice how close they are to each other. They always have each other's back, and it doesn't matter to them about how popular they are, they just want to be with each other. That's when I figure it out.

"Are you guys..." I begin, but I'm not sure how I can put it in a sentence without sounding rude or judgmental. I pick my words very carefully, and even though it sounds stupid, I say it anyway. "Are you guys in a relationship?" I say quietly. Miranda looks at me, and even Val stops crying. I feel embarrassed, but then Val smiles a little and then nods.

"For two years. You're the first to notice." Miranda says quietly. She holds out a hand and Val takes it. I feel a feeling of accomplishment and confusion in me.

"Why'd you keep it a secret?" I ask. They both look at me as if I must be the most stupid girl on the planet. I feel my cheeks color.

"People like us don't belong here Ally." Miranda says. "We've been bullied before, but if people find out we're lesbian, we'd be bullied even more."

"They shouldn't be so judgmental about that though. You love who you love and if that makes you happy..." I say, but I trail off as I see Austin making his way towards us. He looks angry, his knuckles are clenched into fists so tightly it's turning them white. He shoves past a group of kids until he's towering above me. I back all the way into a locker.

I'm going to die.

I brace myself for a hit, closing my eyes shut. I don't feel anything. I open one eye and see Austin standing there, looking angry but entertained. He looks like a devil... A really handsome-but scary- devil.

"Oh hey Sat-Austin." I say quickly. My voice is shaky. I try to muster up some courage to be able to stand straight and look him in the eye, but I don't have enough.

"We need to talk." Austin says, his voice dangerously low. Miranda and Val look back and forth at me and Austin, then they quickly walk away. People stop to look at us, but after receiving a glare from Austin they quickly rush away.

"What about?" I ask, trying to sound chill, but my voice is still pretty shaky.

"Don't act like you don't know Ally." Austin says, glaring at me this time. I feel my fear go away and soon it's replaced with anger.

"I don't." I snap. My voice has stopped shaking and now I'm able to stand straight and look him in the eye.

"I'm not stupid Dawson. I know that you know about Lilly." Austin says. I gulp, I'm dead for sure by now. Instead of doing what I planned to do, (smile sweetly and run away) I laugh.

"You must be a genius Moon." I say, and then laugh more. I'm screaming at myself, telling me to stop, but as always I don't listen. "I'll get you a medal."

Austin looks at me suspiciously, like he actually was expecting me to run away, but then he resumes his previous image. "Why do you even care?" he asks.

I have to think for a moment for this. "I just want to know." I say casually, and I'm about to walk away, but Austin's blocking me and I can't move.

"Know about what?" he asks. I roll my eyes.

"Lilly stupid." I say.

Wrong answer.

Austin puts his hands on my shoulders, and I can feel the weight on me. "Stay out of my past." he says, and I can see fire in his eyes.

"I'll do whatever I want to Moon." I say, and I pull his hands off my shoulders, but they then grab my arms. I sigh in frustration.

"Leave Lilly alone." Austin whispers, and then releases his grip on me. I almost fall over, but I manage to pull myself back enough to shout back at Austin.

"She shouldn't have left you!" I shout. Austin turns around, looking at me. I gulp, and then I quietly say, "She shouldn't have left you Austin."

Austin pauses, and for a moment his anger disappears and sadness is written all over him, but then it's gone and replaced with hurt. He stands there, and nods slowly. "I know... But she did and she was happy." he says.

I shake my head. "No Austin, she wasn't happy. She tried going back to you but you shut her out." I say.

"I didn't shut her out Ally." Austin snaps. I slowly back away. "There's more to it than just that." he says.

"What?" I ask, hoping he'll tell me. He pauses, sighs, and for a moment he just stands there, but then after a while he speaks.

"Lilly came over for dinner one night, our family got really close once we became friends." Austin explains. I nod, telling him to go on. "My mom started chatting with her, asking her about her boyfriend and stuff, and Lilly said that everything was going well, but I could see she was lying." Austin says.

"Was she being abused?" I ask. Austin looks at me, as if he just realized I was standing here, and then he shakes his head.

"Not that I know of." Austin replies, and then continues. "After dinner Lilly wanted to talk to me privately. We went outside and she started saying how terrible everything was and how she just wanted it all to end."

I think of Val and her brother. "Was she suicidal?" I ask. Austin shakes his head at first, but then nods.

"Yeah... She was. I tried to help her out of it though, but after she went out with that dip-shit it didn't seem like she needed me anymore. She looked happy to me." Austin says.

"But she wasn't." I say.

"Ally you don't know that." Austin says. "You can't believe everything someone says."

"I believe you." I point out. He pretends he hadn't heard that, but I can see it threw him off a bit.

"She said that she didn't want anything to do with anyone, and then she told me it was all my fault..." Austin finishes. I feel the hurt in his voice.

"What does that mean? What was your fault?" I ask.

Austin shakes his head. "I don't know. I've been trying to figure it out." he says. I think for a moment, and then I figure it out.

"I think she meant that it was your fault she fell in love with you." I suggest. Austin pauses, and then looks at me with confusion in his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, getting defensive.

"She fell in love with you. With your eyes, hair, lips, personality, whatever it was." I say. Austin blushes.

"What do my lips have to do with that?" Austin asks. I suddenly feel myself blush too.

"Maybe she wanted to kiss you?" I suggest. I feel my heart race.

"Maybe. Whatever. Thanks Ally... Thanks for all the help." Austin says, he gives me a hug, and I feel like my heart shot out of my chest. He walks away, and I stand there, blushing madly.

I suddenly have the urge to kiss him.


	6. Disobedience Isn't Always a Good Thing

I walk home rather than taking the bus like how Penny expected me to. To tell you the truth I was about to go on the bus, but then the voice in the back of my head told me not to. The same voice Ms. Ahla always told me not to listen to. She told me that it always made me do the wrong thing, but of course I don't listen to her. I bet if Ms. Ahla found out what I was about to do then I would be in so much trouble with her right now. I start to feel odd by thinking about her, wondering what she auld be doing right now while I'm gone, if she'd be happy or if she'd be devastated. I feel like running away and going back to her, because I finally realize that I miss her. I miss her even more now, so to stop thinking about her I just focus on the number of footsteps I take. I get up to 60 when I finally get bored and decide to just listen to some music on my IPod. I pull it out of my pocket and put my headphones on. I scroll through the songs until I find one by Justin Timberlake. It's called "Mirrors" and I smile to myself as I make the volume higher.

"Aren't you somethin' to admire?  
'Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror  
And I can't help but notice  
You reflect in this heart of mine  
If you ever feel alone and  
The glare makes me hard to find  
Just know that I'm always  
Parallel on the other side

"'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul  
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go  
Just put your hand on the glass  
I'll be tryin' to pull you through  
You just gotta be strong

"'Cause I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me  
The vacancy that sat in my heart  
Is a space that now you hold  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy  
Comin' back here to you once I figured it out  
You were right here all along

"It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear as this promise  
That we're making two reflections into one  
'Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me

"Aren't you somethin', an original  
'Cause it doesn't seem merely a sample  
And I can't help but stare, 'cause  
I see truth somewhere in your eyes  
I can't ever change without you  
You reflect me, I love that about you  
And if I could, I would look at us all the time

"'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul  
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go  
Just put your hand on the glass  
I'll be tryin' to pull you through  
You just gotta be strong

"'Cause I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me  
The vacancy that sat in my heart  
Is a space that now you hold  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy  
Comin' back here to you once I figured it out  
You were right here all along

"It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear as this promise  
That we're making two reflections into one  
'Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me

"Yesterday is history  
Tomorrow's a mystery  
I can see you lookin' back at me  
Keep your eyes on me  
Baby, keep your eyes on me

"'Cause I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me  
The vacancy that sat in my heart  
Is a space that now you hold  
Show me how to fight for now (please show me, baby)  
I'll tell you, baby, it was easy  
Comin' back here to you once I figured it out  
You were right here all along

"It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear as this promise  
That we're making two reflections into one  
'Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me..."

I put my hands into my pockets and I start walking towards the mall. I've been there once before, only because I had to buy some new clothes since Penny decided that I needed to upgrade my wardrobe. I remember passing by this music store called Sonic Boom and falling in love at the sight of all the instruments. One more visit couldn't really harm anyone, could it?

* * *

I pull the door open and I walk inside to see a girl standing behind the counter. She looks really bored, and she's poking through a jar of guitar picks. I walk up to her, and she looks at me. She smiles, but I can tell it's forced.

"Looking for something?" she asks. I shake my head.

"Um, actually... I was wondering if you had a job opening available?" I ask. The girl's smile isn't forced this time. She nods furiously, her curly brown hair bouncing on her shoulders.

"Yes! You're hired. Congrats!" she says, and rips off her name-tag and puts it in my hand. "Tell the boss I quit, 'kay?" I look at her name-tag, reading the name Trish.

"Umm... Okay Trish." I say. She grins widely, thanks me, and then runs out the door. I stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say to anyone. A little boy walks into the store, and he starts poking at the instruments. I stand there like an idiot watching him as he knocks down a pink violin.

"Oh narts." the little boy says, and he takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes. When he puts them back on he looks at me, and he blushes madly.

"Hey little guy." I say, trying my best to not sound like a pedophile. I smile, and the little boy backs away, running out of the store, shouting something I can't make out.

So much for not looking like a pedophile.

I sigh, and I walk behind the counter, poking at the guitar picks. Now I can understand why Trish wanted to quit so badly that she gave the job to a random person that just walked in. I think about leaving, but I stop myself. I can't just leave the store unattended, can I?

Fifteen minutes later, a man walks into the room. It takes me a moment to realize who he is, but when I recognize him I immediately regret it.

"Ally? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home! Don't you know how worried Penny is about you?" Lester asks.

"I couldn't just leave the store unattended." I say quietly. Lester shakes his head.

"Where is Trish?" he asks.

"She um, told me to tell you that she quit." I say.

"So you decided to take over?" Lester asks. "Without telling me?"

"You know what? Next time I'll leave the store unattended. Let someone rob you or whatever." I say, and I throw Trish's name-tag on the counter and head towards the door.

"Ally, wait." Lester calls out. I turn around and cross my arms. He sighs, rubs his head, and then nods to himself. "If you want... You can work here."

"Do I get paid?" I ask. Lester shakes his head at first, but then stops himself and after a long time he nods.

"Five bucks an hour?" he asks, holding out a hand.

"Fine." I say, and I shake his hand. He smiles, but then quickly frowns.

"You better get home. Penny wants to talk." Lester says.

I shouldn't have listened to the voice.

"Um... Okay." I say, and I head out the door. As I walk towards the mall exit, I can't help but laugh at what I see.

* * *

The Austin Moon, standing right before my eyes, wearing a paper crown and a blanket as a robe. He waves at people as they pass by, saying some weird slogan. He looks really annoyed, and when he sees me his face turns beet red. I wave, and he pretends to not see me, so I walk closer until I'm standing right in front of him.

"What's with your costume?" I ask, trying not to laugh.

Austin scowls at me. "What are you doing here?" he asks.

"What? I have no social life that I can't just walk into a mall and head towards a... Mattress shop?" I ask.

"Moon's Mattress Kingdom. There's no hassle in our castle." Austin says, annoyance and boredom in his voice.

"Looks like fun." I say sarcastically.

"Oh it is." Austin replies back in the same tone. "Standing here, looking like a retard, waving to strangers. It's what I live for."

I raise an eyebrow. "So... You want to own a mattress shop?" I ask.

Austin shakes his head. "I want to be a musician. Scratch that, I want to be THE musician. I can see it, the crowd screaming my name, people asking for my autograph, going on tour..." he trails off into his imaginary fantasy.

"In your dreams Moon." I say. Austin looks at me and smirks.

"Dreams do come true." he says.

"What are you doing? Quoting Disney movies?" I ask.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Austin says. He continues waving at people, shouting slogans and whatever. I watch him, observing his facial features.

"You know you've been staring at me for like five minutes." Austin says, I blush, thinking of a good comeback.

"Don't all the girls stare at you?" I ask. Not really the best comeback, but it does get him to blush, so I give myself a pat on the back.

"I don't know, and I don't care." Austin replies. It's silent for a while, and I'm about to head home when Austin says something.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" he asks, sounding like one of those pre-school teachers that I always wanted to lock in a closet.

"Uh... I just... I just want to be happy." I say. Austin nods.

"Me too. But my parents don't want me to be. Austin says.

"That's not true Austin," I say. "Your parents would do anything to make sure you're happy in the future."

"They told me that I can't be a musician." Austin says. "They want me to be just like them."

"They don't control your life Austin, you do." I say.

Austin shakes his head. "They always want me to do what they want me to do. I can't make my own decisions."

"At least be thankful that they're there for you." I say, getting agitated.

"Sometimes I wish they weren't though." Austin says.

I don't know what causes me to snap, maybe because of the way Austin speaks so freely about his parents, saying how he wants them gone sometimes... Or maybe because it reminded me of how I used to be like when I was younger.

"You're kidding me right?!" I shout. "What would you do if they WERE gone?" I ask.

"Relax Ally." Austin says, putting his hands on my arms. I push them away.

"My parents ARE gone Austin! And I hate it! Every day I want them to come back, and every day I'm reminded that they can't!" I say.

"I didn't mean to offend you!" Austin says, looking around at the staring faces.

"But you did!" I shout. It's Austin's turn to get angry now.

"What are you? Bipolar? One minute you're siding with me the next you're yelling at me!" Austin shouts back.

"Maybe I am bipolar." I snap. I storm away, heading towards the house.

"Ally!" Austin calls, but I keep walking. I decide I don't want anything to do with him anymore.

I decide that I hate him.

* * *

I walk as quickly as I can, shouting apologies to everyone I ram into. It's gotten pretty dark, and rain is pouring down onto the ground. I wish I wore something warmer, because I'm freezing right now.

Even though I hate to admit it, Austin made me realize that I've been acting like a brat the whole time. I know I was being a nuisance, but I am at least in a family that cares about me, because now that my own family was gone, they are the only support I have. I feel terrible for all the times I didn't listen to Penny or ignored her rules, for all the times I was rude to Lester, and for all the times I was ignoring Bryce. I mean, Bryce was adopted too! I shouldn't be so rude to him because he went through the same pain I went through, except the poor child didn't know what happened to his family and is growing up thinking Penny is his birth mother. I start to feel tears stream down my cheeks. It's the first time I've cried in months, maybe years.

When I reach the house Penny is standing outside, looking angry, but trying not to show it. I walk up the porch to where she's standing.

"Ally, what were you-" I cut her off by giving her a huge hug. My tears soak her shirt, but I can't stop crying.

"I am so sorry." I say between sobs. Penny rubs my back comfortingly.

"What happened sweetie?" Penny asks. I pull away from her.

"A lot happened today. I'm just glad I'm home, with people who care about me." I rub my eyes.

Penny smiles a motherly smile, and then, to my surprise, gives me a kiss on the forehead.

"I'll always love you Ally-gator." Penny says. I laugh gently.

"I like that nickname." I say, wiping away a tear.

Penny smiles even more, and then looks at the sky. "It's raining cats and dogs. Come on, let's go inside." I nod, and let out a sneeze.

"I think I got a cold." I say.

"Let's give you some Tylenol." Penny says, ushering me inside.

"One more thing..." I say.

"Yes Ally?" Penny asks.

It takes me a lot of courage to ask her what I've always wanted to. "Can I... Call you Mom?" I ask.

Penny pauses, and I feel hurt soaring through me.

"Forget it, it was too soon." I say, but before I can walk in, Penny stops me.

"Yes... Yes you can."

* * *

I sit at the dinner table this time instead of going up to my room like how I usually do. I cut Bryce's steak for him and listen to him go on and on about how his day went. He smiles, showing off his loose tooth.

"Glad you came downstairs for dinner today Ally." Lester says, swallowing a piece of his steak. I smile, and I poke at my rice.

"Me too." I say.

"So, I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow?" Lester asks.

Penny looks at me with suspicion. "You have a job?" she asks.

I nod. "I wasn't really planning on getting one, I just did..." I say.

"Trish quit." Lester says. Penny nods, as if that explains everything.

"Who's Trish anyway?" I ask.

"You don't know her? Gee, I thought you guys would've met by now." Penny says.

"I'll introduce you guys officially at the next Mall Association Meeting." Lester says, and he takes another bite of steak.

"Can I come?" Bryce asks. "I wanna go."

"We'll see Bryce. Maybe Ally can take you." Penny says.

As I finish eating the last of my rice the doorbell rings. Lester excuses himself from the table to answer the door. I take Bryce's plate and mine and put it in the dishwasher. I walk towards the sink and wash my hands and I am just about to go up to my room before Lester calls me.

"Ally? Someone's here to see you." Lester calls. I sigh, and walk towards the living room. He motions towards the door, and I open it and see the person that I least wanted to see.

Outside the door stands Austin Moon.

* * *

**Whatcha guys think? Personally, I really think this chapter is the best so far... but that's my opinion, let me know what you guys think!**

**Song used- Mirrors by Justin Timberlake 3**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Austin and Ally, or Moon's Mattress Kingdom, or Sonic Boom, or Nelson... or anything you may recognize.**

**Rate it, review it, love it, etc.!**


	7. D is for Dandelion

I shut the door behind me with such a bang that it must have caused an earthquake. Penny - I mean Mom - will probably kill me now. I stand on the porch, my arms crossed, glaring at Austin, who just stands there watching me.

"What do you want?" I ask harshly.

Austin clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "I came to apologize." he says.

"Lemme guess, your mom forced you." I say.

Austin shakes his head. "No, I was just feeling like a gentleman."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever." I mutter. I'm about to walk back inside but Austin pulls me back.

"Will you at least let me apologize?" he asks. "I mean, unless you don't want me to, then I'll happily walk back home."

I sigh in frustration and nod. "Go ahead then." I say quietly.

Austin clears his throat. "Ally, I'm really sorry for being a jerk. I wasn't thinking about what I was saying." he says. "I shouldn't have said those things, and I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings."

"It's okay." I say.

"I got you some flowers." Austin says, and he holds out two dandelions.

I try not to laugh. "Pick them from your yard?" I ask.

"Well the flower shop was closed so... Yeah." Austin says, grinning a little.

I smile and take the dandelions. "These are some really fancy weeds."

"Don't you mean 'flowers'?" Austin asks.

I shake my head. "No. I mean weeds."

"They may be weeds, but they're pretty special flowers." Austin says.

"Whatever you say." I reply.

"Well... Where's my apology?" Austin asks.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You know... Apologizing for lashing out at me?" Austin says.

"You seriously want an apology from me?" I ask.

"Well yeah... I mean, you kind of hurt my feelings." Austin says.

"You're such a girl." I say, rolling my eyes.

"I know." Austin says. I swear if I wasn't too busy smiling I would have probably punched him by now.

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you..." I say after a while.

"Apology accepted." Austin says, and he laughs a little. "I actually thought that was pretty cute." I feel my cheeks color.

"Uh thanks." I say, trying not to sound embarrassed.

"So... We cool?" Austin asks, holding out a hand.

I nod. "We cool." I say, and I shake his hand.

"Cool." Austin says. We both laugh. "Well... I should go now." he says, and is about to walk off the porch when I stop him.

"Uh, Austin?" I ask. He turns around.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"Do you want to come in?" I ask. "I think Pen-Mom might want to see you." I say. "To say hi and stuff."

Austin pauses for a moment. "Uh... No." he says.

"Why not?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Um... I have to go now." Austin says.

"Not just a quick visit?" I ask.

Austin shakes his head.

I sigh. "What are you not telling me?"

"Uh... Nothing. It's just... Complicated." Austin says.

"Everything's complicated for you isn't it?" I ask. "You know what? Just forget I even asked." I make my way towards the door.

"Um... I guess I could say hello..." Austin says, his voice faltering.

I turn around. "Great answer kid." I say. "Let's go."

"You always want it your way, don't you?" Austin says, sighing.

"Yup." I say, and I open the door and we walk inside. Penny's in the kitchen, washing the dishes. I place the dandelions on the staircases.

"You annoy me sometimes." Austin mutters under his breath. I elbow him in the stomach.

"Um Mom?" I ask. "Can you come out here?"

"Let her take all the time she needs." Austin says, rubbing his stomach. I glare at him.

"Coming Ally!" Penny calls out. Austin let's out a huge sigh.

"Uh I guess you can sit down or something." I say, pointing at a couch. Austin walks over to it slowly and sits down.

Penny walks out of the kitchen holding a dishtowel, and she stops when she sees Austin.

"Is there something you both want to talk to me about?" Penny asks suspiciously. I shake my head, confused, but I can see Austin is beet red.

"I thought you'd like to say hello." I say.

"Oh we've already met before Ally." Penny says, looking at Austin like she wanted to kill him or something.

She really needs to work on masking her emotions.

Now I'm even more confused. "What?" I ask.

"Uh... I should go now." Austin says, getting up from his seat.

I stop him. "No stay." I say.

"We've already met before." Penny repeats. She's smiling a little. I know that smile. It's the smile she uses whenever she's hiding something from me.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I really should go now." Austin says quickly. He's about to bolt out the door but with a strong tug I pull him back.

"What are you guys hiding from me?" I ask suspiciously.

Penny's smile falters, and then disappears. "Ally-gator..." she says quietly.

"Don't call me that." I say. "Just tell me what's going on."

"There's so much that you need to know..." Penny says.

"You're kidding me right? You're keeping secrets from me too?" I ask, my voice raising.

"No, it's just that..." Penny begins, but stops.

"It's just what?" I ask.

"Ally, this family is... Complicated." Penny says.

"No shit." I say sarcastically. Penny stares at me, like I've turned into a monster right before her eyes. So much for the whole family bonding.

Lester walks into the room, carrying a magazine in his hands. He stops when he sees Austin there, like he's a robber or something.

"Oh hello Austin." Lester says, his voice cracking.

"Hey." Austin replies, turning as pale as a ghost.

"I swear you guys are being so overly dramatic right now." I say.

"Ally, I think Austin should leave now." Penny says quietly.

"Great idea." Austin mumbles.

"Not unless you tell me what you're hiding from me." I say.

Penny sighs. "When were you so complicated?" she says, running her hands through her hair.

"Since always." I reply. I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for an answer.

"Ally, now's not really the time to tell you about it." Lester says, I turn so I'm facing him.

"About what?" I ask. Lester groans.

"Just forget it. Austin, you can leave now." Lester says.

"No." I say. I'm going through dangerous territory, but I can't stop myself.

"Why not?" Lester asks me.

"I want to know now." I say. "If you don't tell me, Austin's not leaving."

Austin sighs. "I really should go no-"

"Shut up." I tell him.

There's a moment of silence. Everyone is standing, watching the other. Finally, Penny let's out a sigh.

"I think you should sit down Ally... You too Austin."

* * *

To tell you the truth, I've never been this surprised, hurt, angry, or upset in my life.

Penny told me every single detail, from beginning to end, and I have to say, she was right. I wasn't ready for it. It was too much for me. I still have a massive headache from thinking about it.

When Penny found out she wasn't able to have children, she used to spend all of her time watching her best friend Susan's daughter. She was the sweetest little girl, with curly red hair that fell to her shoulders and sea green eyes with freckles. Penny became close to the girl, as if she was her own daughter, and in a way, she was. A few years later, Penny moved to Colorado, and so she lost connection with Susan and her daughter. She used to keep in touch with them, once in a while she'd come to visit. The girl grew up to be sweet, kind, and intelligent, and she was also very beautiful.

The girl was Lilly.

Once when Penny came to visit Lilly she met Austin, and she became really good friends with his mother, Mimi. Austin and Lilly were great friends, and they used to do everything together. At least, that's how it looked like. Penny had no idea about who Dallas was or what was happening to Lilly at the time. Penny was planning on moving back that way she could visit more often, and she was planning on moving in with Lilly and her family. She told Susan what she was thinking, and she said that was a good idea, saying how Lilly could use some time with her.

One day, while Penny was shopping with Susan, she found out that Lilly was suicidal. That sort of took her by surprise, since she thought that Lilly was always happy. Penny told Susan that she should take Lilly to see counseling, but Susan denied, saying it was too expensive and such. Penny let it go, but once in a while she'd take Lilly to see her therapist, until Susan caught her.

Penny went back to Colorado for an emergency visit, something happened to Lester, and so she had to leave suddenly. She didn't know that the same day Lilly had gotten into a car accident, and she didn't find out until about a week later, because Susan wasn't answering her calls. When she found out, she came back as fast as she could, and she prayed every night for Lilly to be okay, but she didn't know that she had died on the spot.

Susan couldn't bear any of the painful memories of Miami, so she moved to Los Angeles, and Penny hasn't heard from her since. She's talked with Mimi before, and Mimi says she's doing alright, but she's still grieving over her. Compared to Penny, Susan was doing much better. You couldn't imagine how devastated Penny was. She couldn't bear it, she went absolutely insane, so they had to bring her to a mental hospital until she calmed down. She thought it was all her fault, and she got angry with everyone, asking them how could they. To get over all of the stress she had adopted Bryce, and a few years later she adopted me.

Even though she doesn't mean what she's possibly implying, I understand. She's using me as a way to get rid of her grief, but all I did was bring it back.

I sit in the chair, still processing what I had just been told.

"Ally? You don't look so well." Penny says, tears in her eyes. She puts a hand on my forehead, I pull it away.

"I'm fine... Just a little overwhelmed." I say.

"Are you going to be alright?" Lester asks.

"Yeah." I say quietly, though I'm not so sure anymore.

Austin sits there quietly, observing the floor, not moving. I shake him, and his head shoots up, his eyes red and his face drained.

"We'll leave you two alone." Penny says quietly, and she and Lester head upstairs, ignoring the dandelions.

I turn around so I'm facing Austin. "Are you okay?" I ask, though I know the answer.

Austin shakes his head, and I see tears forming. "No I'm not." he says hoarsely.

I think for a moment. "Do you want a hug?" I ask. He nods. I wrap my arms around his waist, and I rest my chin on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for forcing you to stay against your will." I say.

"I'm kind of used to it." Austin replied quietly.

"I feel like such a brat right now." I say. "I always mess everything up, don't I?"

Austin pulls away from me so he's looking me straight in the eyes. He shakes his head. "No you don't." he says quietly.

"Um I just did." I say. "I seriously wish that I was back with Ms. Ahla."

"Who?" Austin asks. I forgot that I haven't told him about her yet.

"The foster lady." I explain. "She was the only one who actually cared about me."

"I care about you." Austin says.

I shake my head. "You're different."

"Is different okay?" Austin asks, leaning closer.

I shrug. "I don't know." I say.

"You don't know anything do you?" Austin says, smiling.

I shrug again. "Not really."

"I bet you Ms. Ayla was really upset you left." Austin says.

"Ms. Ahla." I say, correcting him.

"Whatever." Austin says.

I look him in the eyes, and then I feel the urge to kiss him come back. I feel myself lean in, and he does the same. We're nose to nose with each other, when suddenly...

"EW." Bryce says, pretending to gag.

We immediately move away from each other, snapping back to our senses.

"Gross." Bryce says.

"What is?" I ask, pretending not to know. Though the blush on both of our faces must make it pretty obvious.

"You guys." Bryce says.

"You guys what?" I ask.

"You know!" Bryce says, making kissy faces. Austin coughs awkwardly.

"You know what?" I ask.

Bryce stamps his foot on the ground in frustration, and then goes back up to his room.

"Um I should get going now." Austin says. He gets off the couch.

"Yeah..." I say, following him towards the door.

"Bryce must be pretty angry with you." Austin says, laughing a little.

"I'll just give him some fruit loops." I say. "He loves those."

I open the door, and Austin steps outside.

"Bye Ally." Austin says.

"Bye." I say. I watch as he goes down the porch steps and walks out of my sight.

I sigh, close the door, and get a bowl full of cereal and head upstairs to bring it to Bryce's room. I spot the dandelions still lying on the staircase step, and I pick them up.

They may be weeds, but I think they're some pretty special flowers.

* * *

**Aww that was pretty... interesting.**

**I decided to update sooner than expected because I really couldn't wait any longer!**

**Thank you guys soooo much for reviewing and reading! **

**Some of you may know about my obsession for fruit loops from the Auslly wiki haha ;)**

**Rate it, review it, love it, etc.!**


	8. Superhero

I stand behind the counter at Sonic Boom, reading a magazine about some hot new celebs, when a middle aged woman with short brown hair walks into the store, followed by a little boy with sandy brown hair and glasses. I recognize the little boy. He's the same one who I creeped out the other day by making him think I was a pedophile. I pretend not to notice the boy pointing at me and making cuckoo signs. His mother rolls her eyes and drags him over to me. She stands in front of me and I put my magazine down, ignoring the creeped out look I receive from the boy.

"Hello... Ally." the woman says, reading my name-tag.

"Hello." I reply, paying no attention whatsoever to the boy tugging at his mother's jeans, begging for him to go home.

"My little boy Nelson is here for his piano lessons." she says, looking around for Lester. "Is Mr. Dawson here?"

I shake my head. "No, but if you want I can tell him you stopped by." I say.

"Oh, okay then. Tell him that Helen says hi." she says with a wink.

Ew.

I nod, trying not to gag, and watch as she turns on her heel and leaves the store. I face Nelson, who's trying to hide himself behind the piano. I walk over to him slowly.

"Hey Nelson. I'm Ally." I say, holding out a hand. He doesn't shake it, instead he looks straight at me, dazed. I wave a hand in front of him, sending him back to reality.

"You're pretty." he says, and then blushes, realizing he just said that out loud.

"Thanks. You're quite handsome yourself." I reply.

"Thanks, but I'm not interested." Nelson says. I laugh.

"Darn." I say, and I make my way to the piano. I sit on the piano bench, and I make some space for Nelson to sit. I pat the seat, and he sits next to me after a few minutes of considering.

"Do you know how to play?" I ask. Nelson nods proudly.

"I'm pretty good." he says.

"Okay. Let's hear it." I say, and Nelson cracks his knuckles and puts his fingers on the keys. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and begins playing random notes. I feel like my ears are bleeding, but I don't dare tell him that. When he's done, Nelson opens his eyes, and my scowl quickly turns into a smile.

"That's great Nelson," I lie. "Next time try playing softer, like this." I play the keys, slowly and softly. When I'm finished I look over to Nelson and he nods and grins.

"That was awesome!" Nelson says. His eyes widen in astonishment and appreciation.

I smile, and try take a bow. It's pretty hard to do in a seat. "I try." I say.

* * *

Thirty minutes into the lesson, Lester walks in, followed by Austin and a tall red-head with a camcorder in his hand. I try not to notice them as they run around the store, playing with instruments. The red-head is filming Austin as he messes around with them.

"Hey Ally. How's the lesson going?" Lester asks.

"Great. Helen says hi." I say, trying not to laugh when Lester makes a disgusted face. Thankfully, Nelson doesn't notice, he's too busy watching the boys play with the instruments.

"Oh that's wonderful." Lester says glumly. "If you need me I'll be in my office." he walks toward the room.

I turn around just in time to see the red-head knock down a whole shelf of violins. I sigh, and I make my way over to him.

"Can you please tell me what you're doing?" I ask. The red-head turns around so he's filming me.

"Just filming around." he says, and cracks up at his own joke. I roll my eyes.

"Wow. Hilarious." I say sarcastically.

"Dez! I can't pay for any more broken violins!" Austin says as he walks over to us. "Oh hey Ally." he adds, once he notices me glaring at them both.

Dez turns, filming Austin this time. "Relax, I've got this." he says, and he shuts off his camcorder. He turns so he's facing me this time, and he puts on his best 'flirty' look. I make a face, and then start laughing.

"What are you doing with your eyebrows?" I ask, laughing really hard. He wiggles them more, and I laugh harder.

"Hey, can you let it slide for now?" Dez asks, gesturing towards the instruments lying on the ground.

I stop laughing immediately and shake my head. "Nope. Sorry." I say, and walk towards the counter.

"Please?" Dez asks. I shake my head.

"Nope. That'll be... 800 dollars." I say.

Dez's eyes widen. "I don't have that much money!" he says. I shrug.

"Be more careful next time then. Now, where is my money?" I ask. Dez sighs.

"Just put it on my tab." he says, and he walks out of the store. Austin walks towards the counter and sits on top of it, playing with the box of guitar picks. I take the box from him and place it on the other side of the counter.

"Sorry about that." Austin says. "He's kind of crazy."

"Kind of?" I ask, trying not to laugh.

"Okay. Very." Austin says, laughing along.

"He's not the weirdest person I've met." I say.

"Miami's filled with weird people." Austin says.

"Um... Help?" Nelson asks. I turn around to see him stuck in a tuba.

"Told you." Austin says. "I'll get the butter."

* * *

After we finally get Nelson out of the tuba Helen comes to pick him up. She thanks me, and waits to say hello to Lester, fixing her hair and putting on some makeup.

"Oh sorry, Lester's not here right now. He's on a date with his wife." I say pointedly.

Helen stops putting on her lipstick. "Oh... I was just preparing myself for a... Job interview." she says, and puts the lipstick back into her purse.

"Sure..." I say, not believing her one bit. I watch as she walks out of the store holding Nelson's hand, and I roll my eyes.

"Who was that?" Austin asks. I turn around so I'm facing him.

"Just some lady who fancies my father." I say.

Austin makes a face. "Ew."

"I know." I say, and I peek outside the door to make sure she's not there.

"Where is your father anyway?" Austin asks.

"I dunno. He probably snuck out the window." I say. "He barely stays here."

"Oh." Austin says quietly.

"Yup." I say.

"What about your... Real father?" Austin asks cautiously.

Well that escalated quickly.

I gulp. "Uh... He um... He died a long time ago." I say quietly.

"If you don't mind me asking... How did he die?" Austin asks. I can hear the hesitance in his voice.

I take a deep breath. Not even Ms. Ahla knows what happened to my father, and she's known my family for a long time. "I don't know..." I say.

"He just disappeared?" Austin asks.

"I said I don't know." I say, trying not to sound rude. "He just left for work one day and never came back."

Austin stays silent for a while. "Oh." he finally says.

"Yeah." I say, and I make my way over to the big piano. "He used to teach me how to play piano."

"He must have done a really good job then." Austin says.

I smile to myself. "That's because he rarely gave up on me." I say. "I was a real brat back then."

"Back then? How about now?" Austin says jokingly.

I raise a fist. "I'm not afraid to punch you." I warn.

Austin imitates me. "I'm not afraid either."

I put my fist down and cross my arms over my chest. "You're going to hit a girl?" I ask accusingly.

"No." Austin says, and comes closer. "I'm going to tickle her."

"I'm not ticklish." I say, but my voice cracks and Austin grins and starts tickling me. I break out into laughter and I grab his hands to force him to stop.

"Stop." I say, warning him. I squeeze his hands to prevent him from tickling me again.

"Alright." Austin says, trying not to laugh, which he's doing a really bad job with.

"You really need to work on your acting skills." I say, and Austin grins.

"I can take classes from you. After all, you're very talented." he says sarcastically.

I stick my tongue out at him. "I'll have you know that I was in a commercial before." I say.

"Oh really? Which one?" Austin asks.

"Um... The... McDonald's ad. The one with the clown in it." I lie.

"You played the clown, right?" Austin asks, laughing.

"You're mean." I say.

"I know, but I'm also pretty awesome." Austin says.

"Um no you're not." I say.

"Yeah I am. I'm also, amazing, good-looking, and irresistible." Austin says cockily.

"Oh please, I can resist you." I say, and then I realize our hands are still intertwined, and I try not to blush as I pull my hand away. Austin pretends he doesn't notice, but he blushes too.

"Hey I've gotta find Dez, I'll be back later." Austin says.

"Okay. See you later." I say.

"See ya later Ally-gator." Austin says, and he walks out the store.

"Don't call me that." I call out to him as he passes by.

I walk back over to the counter and start fiddling around with the cash register, waiting for Austin to come back. I push random buttons over and over to calm my OCD.

* * *

A few minutes later, a tall shadow hovers over me. I look up, and instead of seeing Austin, I see the person who I wouldn't mind running over with. It's Dallas, and he smirks his evil smirk.

"Well look who we have here." Dallas says with amusement.

"May I help you?" I ask.

"I was looking for you." Dallas says. He leans over the counter, getting into my personal space. I take a few steps back.

"Oh really? I didn't know." I say sarcastically.

"You're such a complicated girl." Dallas says as he walks over to me. I move away as quickly as I can.

"I like being complicated. It's like my disguise." I say.

"So you're a superhero now?" Dallas asks, laughing.

"Yup. I'm thinking about becoming Superwoman." I say.

"Who's your kryptonite? Mister Austin Moon?" Dallas asks, making kissy faces. I feel blood rush to my cheeks.

"You're such a little kid." I say. "Better hurry home before you go in your diaper."

Okay, not the best insult.

Dallas cracks up. "Oh don't worry I already went." he says.

"What do you want anyway?" I ask, getting tired of the conversation.

"I just wanted to see you." Dallas says. "Rumor has it I am madly in love with you."

"Ha. Rumors are stupid, aren't they?" I ask, faking a laugh.

"Not if they're true." Dallas says, coming closer.

I back all the way into a wall. I try to move somewhere else but I can't because Dallas has cornered me.

I'm trapped.

"Just a kiss on the lips." Dallas says, pointing to his lips.

"Oh I love that song. 'Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight...'" I sing, and force a laugh.

"Quit stalling." Dallas says.

"Don't make me start yelling 'stranger danger', because I will." I warn.

"And who's going to be there to stop me?" Dallas asks.

"I am." A voice behind me says. Dallas turns around and I can catch a glimpse of his blonde messy hair.

It's Austin.

"Aw, look who we have here. Little Austy is coming here to save his Ally-poo." Dallas says.

"Shut up Dallass." I say.

"I've gotta admit, this is pretty entertaining." Dallas says.

"Just leave her alone." Austin says.

"Sure will, after I get my kiss?" Dallas says, turning towards me.

"Why don't you go find another girl to mess with?" Austin asks.

"You mean someone like Lilly?" Dallas asks, smiling slyly.

"Just leave her out of this and let Ally go." Austin warns.

"Relax Austy-"

"Don't call me that!" Austin snaps. He lunges towards Dallas and the two start to hit each other.

"Stop! Stop it both of you or I'll call the police!" I shout. Dallas throws a punch at Austin and it hits him right in the eye. I crack my knuckles with rage and I pull Dallas away from Austin.

"Get out of here Dallas." I warn.

"Oh I'm not done with you yet." Austin says. He reaches forward but I push him back onto the floor.

Dallas runs out of the store, without waiting for another warning from me. When I see him disappear, I turn towards Austin and examine his bruises.

Then I slap him.

I've never slapped anyone before. Well, okay, I have, but that's not the point. The point is that I am really ticked off with Austin.

"Ow!" Austin says, rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?"

"You guys beat each other to a pulp!" I shout at him.

"He deserved it!" Austin says.

"I know he's a jerk but-"

"No Ally." Austin interrupts. "He's the reason all of this happened. He's the reason Lilly's not here today."

I shake my head. "It wasn't his fault! It was a car-"

"You won't understand Ally. You don't know everything." Austin says.

"Because you don't tell me!" I snap. "It'll be less complicated if you do!"

"I-I can't." Austin says.

"Whatever. That's not the point! You're hurt!" I say.

"I'll be fine." Austin says, but he winces in pain as he rubs his eye.

"No you won't." I say. "I'm getting you an ice pack."

I hand over the ice pack over to Austin and he places it over his bruised eye.

"Listen Ally... I'm really sorry." Austin says. "I was-"

"Save the apology for later." I say. "Are you okay?"

Austin nods and gives me a thumbs up.

"One more thing." I take the ice pack away press my forehead against his and look him in the eyes. "Next time let me fight my own battles." I say more calmly.

Austin smiles weakly. "I want to be your superhero."

I return his smile. "You already were." I wrap my arms around his neck and I give him a hug.

"Guess I should add that to my list of qualities." Austin says as we pull away.

I laugh. "Okay, you do that." I say. I get up to leave but Austin stops me.

"Um Ally?" Austin asks.

"Yeah?" I ask. He grabs my arm and pulls me back, and then, to my surprise...

He kisses me.

* * *

**Alright guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I usually don't like writing fight scenes, but I decided that it was an interesting twist to add... and also because I just wanted Dallass (I meant to spell it that way, auto-correct) to pay a visit. And I might not post for a week or so because I'm going to be away, so I decided to post this chapter today.**

**Who can guess what song Ally referred to? :D**

**Alright, I guess that's it. I don't own Austin nor Ally B.T.W. **


	9. Auditions

Sometimes I wish there was a rewind button in my life. And maybe an erase button too, that'd be nice. If such a thing were possible then I'd rewind that whole moment over and erase it from everyone's memory. But then there's the whole messing-up-the-future anxiety. Oh and then there's karma. Like if I rewind to yesterday afternoon when Dallas and Austin were maiming each other while I was watching, then I end up shoving Dallas in a box or something shipped to Africa, then karma would love to send Dallas back so he can mess up the rest of my life. Maybe he'll have a monkey by his side, and they'll be partners like in that show where there's a girl who is able to talk to animals and stuff. Wasn't it some old cartoon with the word 'Thornberry' or something in it? Or maybe it could be something with Dora maybe. Doesn't she talk to a monkey named Boots? That can count as being able to talk to animals... But what if Boots is a genetically engineered robot or something planning to take over the world but Dora's keeping him hostage? And Swiper's still a pretty suspicious character.

"Ally." A sharp voice rings through my ears. I jump, thinking it's Boots, but then I see my balding science teacher Mr. Bryan standing in front of me with an annoyed expression on his face.

"What?" I ask sleepily. I'm still dazed from my insane thinking, and I have to say I'm getting a headache from it.

"Ah, welcome back to Earth." Mr. Bryan says. He smiles at his comeback, and laughs. Some of the students snicker. I feel myself blush in embarrassment, but then I laugh along with him.

"Great to be back." I say, and Mr. Bryan's annoyed expression returns.

"Well then, tell me dear, what happens when you put a base in phenolphthalein?" Mr. Bryce asks, smiling smugly, waiting for me to make a fool out of myself.

I decide to be a little entertaining. "Isn't that a spell in Harry Potter?" I ask dumbly. Mr. Bryce glares at me, and then shakes his head in disgust.

"Someone needs to do a better job listening." Mr. Bryce says as he walks back towards the front if the room.

That offends me. Nobody can have the last laugh but me. So of course, being my cocky self, I do what everyone tells me not to. To say something snarky back.

"Someone needs to do a better job teaching." I say. Some of the students gasp while others just watch quietly. Mr. Bryce turns around so he faces me, and I can tell I've went too far. Way too far this time. Good job Ally.

"Who do you think you are? Some sort of comedian?" Mr. Bryan asks. I gulp nervously. I can feel people staring at me, and it makes me feel self-conscious.

I do the right thing this time. I remain silent, rather than answering back. I can feel people still staring at me, so with a quick turn and a fiery glare they avert their gaze.

"I'll see you after class. Right now, open up your book to page 263." Mr. Bryan says.

I reluctantly turn the pages in my textbook to the page, waiting for the lesson to begin.

I try to walk out of the classroom without Mr. Bryan noticing, but he makes a big deal addressing it to the whole class before the period ends. As the class files out and the students head off to the next period, I stand in front of Mr. Bryan's desk, awaiting whatever punishment he has in store for me.

Mr. Bryan sits in his desk, rubbing his bald head in frustration. He rummages through a bunch of papers waiting to be graded, and then pulls out a small piece of paper. He writes down something, and then scribbles his signature on a line. When he finishes he hands the paper over to me. I almost fall out of my seat.

It's a detention slip.

I hold the paper in my hands, and I feel like my whole body has frozen as if I'd seen Medusa herself. Mr. Bryan looks intently at me, and that's when I let it out.

"Mr. Bryan please, I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to be rude, it's just that I've been having a really bad day!" I ramble on.

"I don't want to hear it." Mr. Bryan says. "Save it for the counselor."

"But I can't go to detention!" I wail. It sounds more like I'm trying to persuade Mr. Bryan to not sentence me to prison.

"I'm sorry Ally, but you've got to learn actions have consequences." Mr. Bryan says, and he dismisses me.

"But-" I begin, but he holds out a hand.

"I'll see you later." Mr. Bryan says, and he goes back to grading his papers.

I walk reluctantly out of the room, but make a big deal of shutting the door closed very loudly. I bump into almost every single student that I pass by, and I trudge towards my next class. I make a mental note to myself to never mess with a science teacher as long as I live.

* * *

During lunch I look around for Miranda and Val but I can't find any trace of them anywhere. I ask some students if they've seen them, but they shake their heads or just ignore me. So I end up sitting alone at the lunch table, eating my lunch as quickly as I can so I can just sit and hide in the bathroom. That's what I usually did in my old schools, so why not do it here?

As I drink the rest of my sparkling water and pop a stick of gum in my mouth, I feel someone sit next to me. I look over to see Trish holding out a hand. I shake it at first, but then I realize she's asking for a stick of gum. I slowly take a piece and I give it to her, and she thanks me as she pops it into her mouth.

"So... What's up with you?" Trish asks. She blows a bubble and pops it.

I sigh. "I feel like such a loner." I say. I don't feel like lying to anyone right now.

"Well, I can sort of tell since you're sitting alone." Trish says. She blows another bubble and it pops with a smacking sound.

"If you're just coming here to point out the obvious then you can just leave." I say.

"Geez, I guess I shouldn't stay here and give you company." Trish says, and she gets up.

I put a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry... I've been having a really bad day, that's all." I say.

"Apology accepted." Trish says, and sits back down. I roll my eyes when she's not looking.

"So... How do you being the new kid in the school?" Trish asks.

"I've been here for two months." I point out.

"Whatever." Trish says.

I sigh. "To be honest, I hate this school and everyone in it. I hate Miami, period." I admit.

"Well that stings." Trish says.

"Oh, not like that I don't like you... I mean, I don't- but that's because I don't know you." I say, and Trish laughs.

"Well that was an excellent excuse." Trish says sarcastically.

"I try." I reply in the same tone.

"So... Found anyone you want to go to the dance with?" Trish asks.

I'm confused now. "What dance?"

"You know... The school dance?" Trish asks. "Haven't you had any of those?"

I shake my head. I've never been in a building this long. By now I'd be expelled or back with Ms. Ahla, but I'm not. "I uh... I was home-schooled until now." I lie.

Trish nods. "Well then you definitely need to dress to impress." she looks me up and down.

"What?" I ask getting self-conscious.

"You can't just wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants to a dance." Trish says.

"What if I don't go?" I ask.

Trish turns around so she's facing me, and she gasps in horror. I roll my eyes again. "You have to go Ally, it's the biggest dance of the year!"

"What about the winter formal?" I ask. "Isn't there such a thing?"

Trish ignores me. "What about Austin?" she asks.

I don't know why, but I end up blushing. "What about him?" I ask.

"Rumor has it you two are dating." Trish says with her eyebrows raised.

I shake my head. "Rumors aren't true unless you make them come true." I say, remembering what Dallas told me.

"Well... It might if you go to the dance!" Trish says.

I stand up. "I'm not interested." I say, and I walk out of the cafeteria and I head off towards the bathroom.

* * *

I make my way towards the back of the bathroom and I shut the door to the stall for some time alone to myself. I turn my phone on to see if I have an text messages from Val or Miranda, but I don't get any. I sigh, and I'm about to walk outside the door when a group of girls walk in to the bathroom.

"I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes!" A girl exclaims loudly. "They were right there!"

"I doubt it." says another. "You're going crazy."

"No I'm not Ry." the first girl says. "I saw it with my own eyes."

I step on top of the lid of the toilet, and I try to remain silent as I eavesdrop.

"If it is, then you'd need proof." Ry says.

"What if she does have proof?" a third girl asks.

"Do you Naomi?" Ry asks.

Naomi hesitates. "Uh... Not really, but I could get some!"

"I don't understand why you're making a big deal over this." A fourth voice says. "It's not your business."

"They make big deals over everything." the third girl says.

"Can it you two." Ry says.

"I'd like to have a say in this." the fourth girl says. Her voice remains so low I have to try not to fall off when I inch closer to hear.

"Go ahead Tara." Ry says.

"We don't need to be interfering. They're happy the way they are, so let's leave them alone." Tara says.

Even though I have no idea what they're arguing about, I agree with Tara.

"Shut it Tara. It's all going to work out. Trust me." Ry says. The tone of her voice makes me want to throw up.

"I don't get it Ry." the third girl says. "You've had a crush on him for a year. Get over him."

"It's not that simple DJ." Ry snaps. "She just came and took him from me!"

"He never was yours." Tara points out.

"Did you say something?" Ry asks.

"Yeah, I did." Tara says.

"Let's just stay out of this." Naomi says.

"I agree." DJ says. "You're just being snotty Ry."

I hear a quiet thud and DJ scream in pain.

"Ow! Will you cut it out!" DJ says.

"Wait! I remember! I took a photo!" Naomi says, interrupting them all.

"Let's see." Ry says.

My foot slips and hits the door. All of the girls immediately become silent.

"Who's there?" Tara asks.

I clear my throat and try to fake an accent. "Uh... I'm trying to use the bathroom here." I say.

"Sorry." DJ calls. "We'll let you... Finish."

"Let's get out of here." Naomi says, and then they all walk out. When I'm sure they've gone I walk out of the stall and I pace back and forth a few times. I try to piece together what they said, but it doesn't make any sense to me. I sigh in frustration and I walk out of the bathroom casually.

While I'm sitting in detention I can't help but think about what that whole conversation was about.

* * *

The next day as I head out of History, disappointed that Miranda and Val didn't show up, I bump into Austin.

"Oh hey." I say, feeling relieved to see his face. I try not to blush as I remember the last moment we both shared together. To be honest, it felt amazing, the kiss, but I didn't dare tell him that just in case he might have not felt the same way.

"Hey." Austin says, and he stuffs his hands in his pockets. He looks down, which makes me feel the same.

I clear my throat awkwardly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go-"

"I can't today Ally." Austin quickly says, and then he walks away from me and heads towards Chorus.

I stand there, confused by what just happened. People shove past me, yelling me to move, but I just stand there, ignoring them. I shrug it off as I head towards Chorus, and I end up sitting between Elliot and the girl who I think is Ry.

"Hey Ally! Long time no talk! I was wondering if you wanted to go help me out at the science lab today." Elliot says.

"Sorry Elliot, I'm kind of busy this week." I say.

"Well that's okay, maybe we can help out together some other time." Elliot says.

"Sure." I lie.

The rest of the conversation I ignore. I nod my head once in a while, but I'm paying my attention to the girl who I suppose is Ry. She's fixing up her makeup, and she flips her dark brown hair off her shoulders. She turns her attention to me, observing me like I must be some sort of alien.

"Hey Halley." she says. I confirm my suspicion. It's Ry, with that same snotty voice.

"It's Ally." I correct.

"Whatever." Ry says. "I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me and my friends at lunch today?"

I consider it a moment, but then I shake my head. "No thanks." I say.

"Aw that's too bad. DJ wanted to talk to you." Ry says, pouting. She jabs her elbow at a girl sitting next to her. The girl shoots up and I note down some details about her in case I end up writing a police report about her attempting to murder me, because the way she's looking, she'd kill me any minute. She has jet black hair which she covers with a beanie, and she has sea green eyes.

DJ rubs her side whisper-shouting a few curses, and then turns her attention towards me.

"Hey." she says, raising a hand.

"Hey." I repeat. She smiles slightly but then resumes her scowl. I swear she could be an exact copy of Austin. The same scowl, and the same eyes that hide secrets from me.

"What's up with you?" DJ asks angrily at Ry, still rubbing her side painfully.

"Sorry." Ry says shrugging.

"Whatever. That's Riley, but you can call her Ry. Well, she'll force you to call her Ry." DJ says, glaring at Ry, who ignores her.

"Okay." I say, and I turn around facing Elliot this time, who's busy having a conversation with Ben. I look around the music room and then I spot Austin, sitting in the far right corner of the room. As far away from me as possible. He's looking out the window, whispering some words, and I turn away.

Mr. Madison walks into the room and the whole class turns silent. He walks toward the center of the room, and sits on a stool. He takes his time observing each and every one of us, and his gaze stops once he reaches me. He smiles smugly, and then motions for me to come to the front of the room. I slowly get up and make my way towards the center of the room. I turn around so I'm facing the other students, and I gulp.

"What are you going to sing for us?" Mr. Madison asks.

"I dunno." I say shakily. I peek over at Austin and see he's watching me intently.

"How about 'I Won't Give Up' by Jason Mraz?" someone asks out loud.

"Perfect. Begin when you're ready." Mr. Madison says.

I just stand there, watching everyone. Some people snicker, but I'm pretty sure it's my imagination. That doesn't help me with the blush running up my cheeks.

"Any minute now." Mr. Madison says.

"I'm not ready yet." I say. I look over to Austin, who's looking at me with some concern in his eyes.

"How about now?" Mr. Madison asks a minute later.

I sigh, and then I nod. Some of the kids lean forward in their seats. Austin's one of them.

I clear my throat, and then close my eyes so I can't see anyone. I imagine myself sitting at the piano in my room, and then I open my mouth and begin to sing.

"When I look into your eyes  
It's like watching the night sky  
Or a beautiful sunrise  
Well, there's so much they hold  
And just like them old stars  
I see that you've come so far  
To be right where you are  
How old is your soul?

Well, I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up

And when you're needing your space  
To do some navigating  
I'll be here patiently waiting  
To see what you find

'Cause even the stars they burn  
Some even fall to the earth  
We've got a lot to learn  
God knows we're worth it  
No, I won't give up

I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily  
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make  
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use  
The tools and gifts we got, yeah, we got a lot at stake  
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend  
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn  
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in  
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am

I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up, still looking up.

Well, I won't give up on us  
God knows I'm tough enough  
We've got a lot to learn  
God knows we're worth it

I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up..."

I opened one eye and looked at the class, who was just staring back at me. I looked at Austin, but he looked away. I looked at DJ, who gave me a thumbs up and then at Ry, who glared at me.

I turned my attention towards Mr. Madison, opening both of my eyes.

"That was amazing." Mr. Madison said, trying not to stutter.

"Okay." I say, and then walk back towards my seat. Some girl gets up and starts clapping, and others follow. Pretty soon I've received a standing ovation by the whole class.

Elliot leans towards me and whispers in my ear, "That was pretty awesome, Mr. Madison's dazed."

I look at Mr. Madison, who looks as if he just saw a three-headed bear. He clears his throat and starts thinking.

I laugh. "He looks like a red elephant." I whisper back to Elliot. We both share a laugh together.

I decide that Elliot's not so bad after all.

Ry taps my shoulder, and I turn around so I'm facing her.

"That was really good... Ally." Ry says.

"Thanks." I say.

"Dude you've got skills." DJ says, earning another elbow jab from Ry. "Ow! Quit it!" she says.

"Sorry." Ry apologizes, not meaning it at all.

* * *

"Alright class." Mr. Madison says, and the class turns their attention towards him. "I'm hoping you're all practicing for the school play." he then turns towards me. "I want to talk to you after class."

"Ugh, not another detention slip." I say out loud. Some of the students laugh.

"Oh don't worry. It's something way better." Mr. Madison says.

The rest of the period I end up ignoring everything going on, but occasionally I can see Ry glance at me from the corner of my eye. I talk to Elliot a little, and I try not to notice as Austin watches us.

* * *

The bell rings and I get up and head towards Mr. Madison, who smiles at me.

"Ms. Ally, you have an amazing voice." Mr. Madison says.

"Thanks." I say.

"I was wondering if you wanted to be a lead in the school play." Mr. Madison says.

I let out a small gasp, but then shake my head. "I can't." I say.

"Why not?" Mr. Madison asks.

"I have severe stage fright." I reply.

"Ah, that's too bad." Mr. Madison says.

"Yeah. It is." I say, and I head out the door.

I head out the door and see Elliot waiting for me. "Hey Ally." he says, grinning.

"Hey." I reply.

"What's up with Mr. Madison?" he asks.

"He just wanted me to audition for the school play." I say.

"Are you?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I can't." I say.

"Why not?" Elliot asks.

"I have huge stage fright. I almost fainted when Mr. Madison picked me." I say.

"Don't let that stop you." Elliot says.

"I guess it already has." I say.

He turns me around so we're facing each other. The playful smile on his lips has gone. "No it hasn't. You can't give up on something just because you're afraid." Elliot says.

"But I already have." I say. "Too little too late."

Elliot smirks. "Not quite. Auditions run for the rest of the week. You still have a chance."

I sigh. "Why should I anyway?" I ask.

"Ally, you have an amazing voice. Mr. Madison thinks so too. You've got to prove them right." Elliot says.

"Wow. You're pretty good with the whole optimism thing." I say.

"Too bad I talk way too much for people to pay attention." Elliot says laughing.

"Should I really do this?" I ask. Elliot nods.

"For me." Elliot says.

I sigh. "Fine." I say.

Elliot grins and pulls me into a hug. We stay like that for a few minutes and then pull apart.

"I've got to go now." Elliot says. "See you later."

"Bye." I call.

I walk through the empty hallways heading towards science class, but I can't help but see a flash of blonde hair as I pass by.

* * *

A few days pass by until I finally get the nerve to audition for the school play. To be honest I should have auditioned sooner because today was the last day, and I was going to stop myself but then my mind kept telling me that I promised to Elliot that I was going to do it for him.

I walk quietly towards the chorus room, trying not to hit anyone as I hurry and rush past everyone. I don't do a very good job, because I end up crashing into every person I pass.

I'm about to turn towards the room when I see Austin walking by. I march over to him and harshly tug his arm. He turns around and once he sees me his expression darkens and he walks away, but I pull him back.

"Quit ignoring me!" I say.

"I'm not." Austin says. He tries to turn around but I stop him.

"Yeah you are! This whole week you haven't spoken a word to me!" I say.

"I said hey a few times..." Austin says, but we both know he's lying.

"Just tell me why you're ignoring me." I say.

Austin sighs. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Of course you don't." I say. "But you will."

"I don't have anything to say." Austin says defensively.

"So you've been ignoring me for no reason?" I ask, my voice slightly raising. A few people who pass by try not to pay attention to the scene I'm creating.

"I can't tell you why." Austin says.

"Is it because of the kiss?" I ask. Austin freezes for a moment, but then he slowly nods.

"Yeah." he finally says.

"So you've been ignoring me because of that?" I ask.

"Well... Yeah." Austin says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Uh..." Austin says.

"Hurry up." I say.

"Fine." Austin says, a little angry. "You want to know the truth?"

"Yes." I say.

"Then here's the truth: I didn't mean to kiss you." Austin says.

I don't know why, but that sort of stings. "But you did." I say. "Not my fault."

"Yeah it is!" Austin says.

"No it isn't. I didn't force you to kiss me." I say.

"I know..." Austin says, sighing. "But that's not all of it." he adds.

"All of what?" I ask, confused.

"That's not only why I've been ignoring you." Austin says.

"Then what is?!" I ask, getting impatient.

"I've been ignoring you because..." Austin says, but then pauses.

"Because...?" I ask.

"Because I..." he stops again.

"Just get on with it! I don't have all day!" I say.

"I uh..." Austin's voice trails off.

"You don't have a reason do you?!" I say, and I turn around but Austin puts his hands on my shoulders and spins me around.

"I think I fell in love with you." he quickly says.

"What?" I ask.

"I think I fell in love with you." Austin repeats slower.

I feel my heart flutter a moment and I'm about to reach up and kiss him, but my anger rushes over me.

"So you've been ignoring me because you think you're in love with me?!" I ask.

"No. It's just that... I promised myself I'd never fall in love with anyone." Austin says, looking me straight in the eyes.

Oh yeah.

"That was a stupid promise." I say.

"Well I was pretty heartbroken!" Austin says.

"So what now? Your promise is broken." I say.

"No... It's not." Austin says, still looking at me with his brown eyes.

They're not really brown... Maybe slightly honey-colored with flecks of gold shining in them...

What am I saying?! Snap out of it!

"It clearly is. You just told me a minute ago you fell in love with me." I say. I try not to choke on the word 'love'.

"But I've been trying to ignore you so I won't be." Austin says.

"You may think you're a genius now, but pretty soon you'll realize you've clearly been an idiot." I say.

"How so?" Austin asks. "If it works then my promise won't be broken."

"Austin you can't just stop loving because of a promise you made yourself." I say.

"I'll do what I want Ally. Leave me alone." Austin says.

"Fine. I will." I say, and I storm off towards the chorus room.

I can't help but let a few tears escape and trail down my cheeks as I open the door of the chorus room. My heart aches and I feel as if I'd had my soul sucked out of me.

Even though Austin's trying to stop himself from falling in love with me, I think I may have fallen in love with him.

* * *

**Alright guys! That's it for now! I'm going to be gone for a few days so I won't be able to go on FanFiction a lot so I won't be updating in a while.**

**A few announcements:**

**1- Friends Forever, Better Together: I'm finishing up the next chapter, but I'm not updating it today. Sorry for the long wait.**

**2- The Werewolf Journals: I'm still trying to understand what to make the next chapter like, so if you want, you can PM me some ideas.**

**3- One For The Win: I saved the story onto my flash drive (at least I thought I did) but I didn't, so I have to redo the second chapter.**

**4- One-shots: Even though I'll be gone for a week or so, I'll still accept one-shot requests and I'll try my best to work on them as much as I can.**

**Disclaimers:**

**I don't own Austin and Ally, nor Elliot...**

**I DON'T OWN "I WON'T GIVE UP" JASON MRAZ DOES AND I LOVE HIM **

**Alright, I guess that's it. I'll see you later! Love you all!**

**-InkHandzzz**


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